Macca gets discretionary Kona Slot from WTC!
Sorry I couldn’t figure out how to put it in pink on the title page 
Is anyone else completely tired of hearing all this talk about Crowie? The facts will sooner that later come out, give it time people. The more you talk about it the more it draws attention to the situation, which is exactly what the companies are looking for.
Boarding the plane to Hawaii now, see everyone in Kona on Sunday, spending a few days on Oahu 
I hope you get stuck in a holding pattern for at LEAST 30 minutes for your little joke
At this point, Macca would be crushed. Wonder if he could win his age group?
Best of luck
I hope you get stuck in a holding pattern for at LEAST 30 minutes for your little joke
At this point, Macca would be crushed. Wonder if he could win his age group?
Best of luck
i bet he’d have one of his best times ever… he’d be so relaxed with no pressure. like a walk in the park… or an Ironman in Kona, but aren’t those the same thing?
I tend to agree. If they gave Macca a wildcard, everyone should be shitting his pants…he’s been working all year in jacking up his speed and he’s got a lifetime of endurance base. It’s not like the Olympic tri training won’t help him. He did OK (not great) at HyVee, even though he tanked on the run at Yokohama.
Let’s keep in mind that he has ALREADY done one of the fastest Ironman times this year at Challenge Cairns.
He could be a factor if he was there and if WTC gave him a slot.
Crowie can do whatever he wants during the rest of his career but nothing would change the fact that Macca outsmart him BIG TIME last year…
I hope the strong bikers do the same thing this year… ride hard in some section so CA doesn’t have super fresh legs during the run!
Is anyone else completely tired of hearing all this talk about Crowie?
Apparently you are tired of hearing about Crowie but don’t mind starting a new thread to talk about him. As for Macca, whatever the result of Kona is, Macca will have predicted it. His endless talk covers every possible outcome to guarantee his predictions come true.
The more you talk about it the more it draws attention to the situation, which is exactly what the companies are looking for.
I’m not certain Orbea agrees with you…
Have a safe trip and enjoy Hawaii!
It will be interesting to see how healthy he is for the race. He is hands down one of the strongest “competitors” out there, and maybe his year of shorter stuff has given him some new ammo for the race.
Will be fun to head out on the Queen K for my run to see who’s leading on the way back in. Or I should say my goal is to be ON the Queen K before they finish.
See you all next week…
He could be a factor if he was there and if WTC gave him a slot.
I thought if you win it you get in for the next 5 (2? 3?)? Did they change that?
Still would need to complete a WTC full distance Ironman in the year, which Macca hasn’t done (Cairns is a challenge race).
Still would need to complete a WTC full distance Ironman in the year, which Macca hasn’t done (Cairns is a challenge race).
I’m sorry, but that is f***ing insanity. How can they call themselves a WC but not allow the defending champion to race condition free? What would Macca completing a WTC race in 2011 prove exactly? That he can complete the distance? Absolute insanity.
Probably to keep past winners on a more level playing field with other pros that have to complete one or two full Ironmans in the year to qualify (and use a lot of energy to do so).
Right, I’m sure the rule is there to mitigate a potential, albeit unlikely, and negligible unfair advantage available only to the defending champion. That’s probably the reason and it isn’t that forcing the defending world champion to race at least once in one of their other IM events is a big benefit to WTC.
Let’s say that Macca actually wanted to race right now. He’s the freaking defending champion, the best in the world, and whoever wins this year likely wishes Macca were there so that he knows he beat the best when becoming the new WC. What kind of WC would not allow the defending champ to participate and still call themselves a WC?
I’m sorry, Edwin Moses, you have not lost a race in 10 years. But, you can’t race the World Championships because you haven’t promoted our brand adequately for us.
Insanity. Macca is making it easy on WTC by not wanting to race. It’s too bad.
If Macca had wanted to race, he would have done what’s required like any other Pro did (and like Crowie did, he’s in the same spot as Macca on this issue).
I’m not defending WTC at all, but in this case it doesn’t seem like such a bad rule.
Jan Frodeno had to qualify again for London 2012 (which he did), even if he is the reigning olympic champ. In other sports as well, olympic champs have to qualify again.
Fair enough. You are saying defending champions should need to requalify under the same criteria as every other pro. I can buy that argument, though, personally, I don’t think they should have to. I think if you’ve won the race in the past that’s all the qualifying you ever need to do. But, that’s my opinion.
However, if the argument is that defending champions should need to requalify just like everyone else, then WTC should eliminate the defending champions 5 year qualifying exemption. The current situation where they are treated special in that they are “qualified” but still must “complete” a WTC event is ridiculous. Pick one or the other. Let them be eligible to race as former champion or make them have to qualify identical to every other pro. This hybrid of: they don’t have to qualify but they have to complete a race is silly.
Or the hybrid could be seen as an attempt at getting the best of both worlds : show them respect, but don’t give them the race on a platter either
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Fair enough. You are saying defending champions should need to requalify under the same criteria as every other pro. I can buy that argument, though, personally, I don’t think they should have to. I think if you’ve won the race in the past that’s all the qualifying you ever need to do. But, that’s my opinion.
However, if the argument is that defending champions should need to requalify just like everyone else, then WTC should eliminate the defending champions 5 year qualifying exemption. The current situation where they are treated special in that they are “qualified” but still must “complete” a WTC event is ridiculous. Pick one or the other. Let them be eligible to race as former champion or make them have to qualify identical to every other pro. This hybrid of: they don’t have to qualify but they have to complete a race is silly.
We all know the reason for this is because they want the winner of Kona to compete at IM Frankfurt, or IM Austria, or IM Australia (pick your WTC race) vs Roth, Copenhagen or Cairns.
Clearly by completing Cairns, Macca is equally disadvantaged to Crowie, Ralaert, VanHoenacker, Van Lierde and others who had plenty of points but burned their legs on a summer WTC Ironmans.
Macca proved to WTC that he is capable of doing an Ironman and is now also equally disadvantaged compared to his peers. He just did not do the Ironman at a WTC event and that’s really the issue here. WTC wants Macca to validate at their own race and not prove his is IM worthy by putting up one of the year’s fastest IM times at Cairns.
If WTC were to give Macca a wildcard, they’d basically undermine their own program. On the other hand if they give a wildcard to Brownlee or any of the ITU studs, they won’t really undermine their current KPR system.
Dev